Culture
Meet the Catholic art dealer who brought you the impressionists
Without Paul Durand-Ruel, the paintings of Renoir, Monet and Cassatt might not be hanging in museums such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art or reproduced on posters in homes.
‘No Escape’ more an ordeal than an adventure
Graphic violence, gritty language and stereotyping of the bad guys ruin the premise of a movie about an American family forced to fight their way out of a country caught up in political turmoil.
With ‘friends’ like these, solitude looks appealing
The characters of the film "We Are Your Friends" live in a party-craving stupor, reinforcing the Hollywood myth that the greatest human aspiration is to have a good time.
Writer heralds Catholic advantages to self and society
Catholic League president Bill Donohue believes his lightning bolt philosophy illuminates the path to health and salvation.
Graphic violence mars clever plot of ‘American Ultra’
The action comedy's potentially appealing premise is turned into nothing but a queasy rampage due to its way-over-the-top explicit violence.
A new look at your old, cool ‘U.N.C.L.E.’
A cultural landmark for baby-boomers comes to the big screen in the espionage yarn "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," clad in a Cold War setting and James Bond glamour.
‘Straight Outta Compton’ tells a gritty, violent tale
The film's flavorful slice of pop culture history is missing a critique of the ethically impoverished worldview of gangsta rap music that permeates the movie.
The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Out of everybody else’s league
#711 is one of a cavalcade of ill-conceived figures featured in "The League of Regrettable Superheroes" (Quirk Books). Written by Jon Morris, this ironic retrospective showcases, as the cover blurb puts it, "half-baked heroes from comic book history."
‘Fantastic Four’: A sci-fi flick that’s as glum as it gets
The script for the film reboot of the comic series features a ham-handed critique of the military-industrial complex and pushes a naive "science will save us from ourselves" message.
The Gift: Flawed revenge fantasy delivers a few seat-jumping shocks
"The Gift" (STX) takes its time unwrapping. What begins as a psychological thriller eventually reveals itself as another entry in the revenge-fantasy genre.